Sparkrace
by sleepyoldvamp
Summary: Drift and the Wreckers get a moment's rest, but an errant racer decides to come into Drift's life. Featuring Nitro Convoy from the Cybertron series. Drift/Nitro
1. Chapter 1

sparkrace drift & nitro -

Time: Then

It had been a fortuitous week. Velocitron was in sight and upon hearing Blurr was onboard the Xantium, the ruler of the humble planet had invited him to their latest race.

It had been a long while since Drift had been amongst so many other bots. The press of chatter and cheering was almost physical, but it was more comforting than annoying.

"Isn't this exciting?"  
Drift smirked as he spared a glance towards Perceptor, who sat next to him. The red bot seemed unusually giddy, and had been since the Xantium had set down on Velocitron. Then again, everyone on the ship had seemed less tense since they had been permissed a short 'vacation.' The two were currently seated in the stands of the great racing arena that was the epitome of the planet, watching the track below carefully for their blue speedster friend.

"It is. I'm glad the others are here too. Kup could use a few cycles of recharge and relaxation," Drift replied, chuckling and shuttering his optics. Taking a deep intake, he reveled in the feel of bright sunshine and fresh air. The atmosphere was a nice change.

"I wonder where Springer and Kup got off to, anyway," Perceptor said, looking around the seats and mechs that surrounded him. He glimpsed something else though, and pointed down to the race starting area. "There he is!"

Both Autobots peered down, spotting a familiar blue figure striding into the open track, mingling with several other racer-modeled bots. Along with the rest of the crowd, the two Wreckers stood and cheered for Blurr, despite him being so far away.

Drift, though, felt a strange chill in his spark, and knew someone had their optics on him. He surveyed the area around him before looking back down to Blurr and the other racers - sure enough, a pair of optics were targeted on him.

"Nitro, y'hear that Blurr guy's part of the Wreckers team that came here?"

"You don't say," Nitro said, an absent grin crossing his lips. He didn't dare turn his gaze from the white and red mech he had spied, sitting some rows back in the bleachers. Shifting on his heels, the racer spared a glance at the huge digital timer that was counting down to the race. Seven clicks.

"Drivekick, I'll be right back," Nitro said with a smirk, hearing his friend's cry of disbelief.  
"Nitro you got six clicks, where the frag are you going?"  
"Don't worry, mech, I'll be back before you know it," Nitro chuckled.

He was coming. Drift felt an uncomfortable pulse and squeeze in his spark, and for a moment thought his cooling unit had failed on him. He couldn't look away from the other mech; red, white and black, elegant and streamlined, gliding smoothly toward the edge of the stands.

"Perceptor I'll be back, I'm... going to get us some energon," Drift said, not acknowledging Perceptor's reply as he stood and made his way for the stand's stairway, shuffling downward towards the siren mech. When he reached the edge of the stands, Drift peeked over and down, and the curious Velocitronian gazed back up with a smile on his face.

"What'll it take for an evening to get to know you better, mech?" Nitro asked smoothly, liking the confused look on the other's faceplate, the almost nervous twitch of his finned helm. There was a long moment. Two clicks before the race.

"W-... Win the race," Drift managed to get out, optics widening when the stranger pursed his lips at him in a mimic of a kiss. The sun felt too hot suddenly.

"Easy enough, sweetspark," the stranger said before twisting away, transforming into car mode smoothly and re-joining his fellow racers just as the starting alarm went off. 


	2. Chapter 2

sparkrace 2 drift & nitro -

"It's a tie!" Perceptor shouted when Blurr and Nitro zipped across the finishline. The race had moved to televised reports, as the obstacle course was over ten mega-kliks long, aerial cameras documenting every minute of the event. Perceptor had watched Blurr vigilantly, as did Drift, but couldn't help letting his optics stray to the foreign mech who had made him feel like a sparkling.

Nitro had slowly but surely made his way to the front of the race, taking advantage of every pitfall and weakness his opponents had along the way. He didn't know who that blue racer was, but overall he knew Blue was a challenge. A GOOD challenge. One by one the other racers around him were taken out by traps, paint-charged tripwire bombs. It was like military training and playing all at the same time - easy mode for Nitro though. He wasn't champion of his city for no reason.

It had whittled down to twelve racers. Nitro knew things were going to get difficult in the next three mega-kliks - the final stretch. Blue was good - he had reaction speed unlike any other Velocitronian he'd seen. Something primal but practiced, fluid, instinctual. Nitro had to stop paying attention to the other mech in the lead, narrowing his systems down to nearly nothing but peripheral attention and moving.

Nothing but speed.

They moved almost in tandem. Transform into vehicle mode, dodge a sudden roadblock, shift back to bipedal, take a bounding leap over a tripwire. Nitro could practically feel the thrum of the other racer's essence, brushing against his own as they skidded around a sharp corner on heel wheels, screeching back into the racing stadium.

Fans were going wild, the screams from the bleachers a distant buzz in Nitro's audials. Blue was right next to him, legs pumping, vents and turbos screaming for air. Then suddenly, the noise amped up, Nitro onlined his optics, and he realized they were across the finish line. He and Blue took a cool-down lap, systems restarting to make him a more functional mech - it was no fun meeting the crowd and not even being able to form coherent sentences.

"Hey - didn't catch your name," Nitro said approaching the blue racer, practically rattling as his heat sinks hummed and fans ran at full blast. He glanced up, thankful the sun was setting, the overcasting shadow of the stadium a relief to hot armor. The blue racer turned, optics wide.

"Bluh... Blurr," the blue mech stuttered, grinning openly. "Hell of a run!" Blurr said, chuckling before opening his mouth to suck in more air for his systems. The red and white mech next to him was smiling, nodding as he recovered. They both looked up into the stands, arms up and waving adoringly to the spectators.

"Nitro. Nitro, it's a tie!"  
Finned head turning, Nitro looked at Drivekick, the smaller racer wheeling over to his friend. He held a few data films in his hands, holding them up to both of the bigger mechs. Blurr and Nitro took them up, eyeing their own before eyeing each others silently.

"Fraggin'... amazin'," Nitro muttered, looking at the other mech. "So you're Blurr from Cybertron. Wreckers n' such?" Nitro asked, getting a look of surprise from Blurr.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Word gets around here quick," Nitro replied with a wink. The other racers were straggling in, mingling with the spectators that were slowly filtering into the arena's main field. Nitro tapped Blurr on the arm, gesturing for him to follow. They made their way towards the award dias, seeing the group of puzzled-looking judges hovering around. As they approached, one spindly bot greeted them.

"Well, second and third place was easy enough to figure out, but I'm proud to say that you two are the first tie in about ten vorns!" The judge said excitedly, ushering the two mechs up on the dias.

"You're good, for a Cybertronian," Nitro said with a grin, looking at Blurr. The blue mech snorted, and they both bowed, receiving their necklaced medals with pride.

"My genitor was from Velocitron. That's why I'm here, after all," Blurr replied, a nostalgic look crossing his face as the judges moved on, rewarding the second and third place winners. Nitro gazed at the mech for a long moment, something running through his processors that was a near-ghost memory. He then reached down, taking Blurr's wrist, and lifted their hands in a high salute to their watchers, receiving a deafening roar of cheers in return.

Fans and femmes were inevitable, but they were flotsam in Nitro's thoughts. After parting with Blurr to mingle amongst the crowd, flirt, sign autographs and overall feel the effect of redlining himself earlier, one mech wouldn't escape his meta. He hadn't even seen the mysterious white-armored bot after the awards ceremony - then again it was hard to see anything in the teeming mass of transformers around him.

"Nitwo, Nitwo!"  
Small hands pattered against his leg and Nitro looked down, grinning big at the small youngling that had found him. He leaned, scooping up the child, out of mild paranoia she'd get hurt.

"Well hello there, little miss, are you here all alone?" Nitro asked, pausing his gait as he looked around for a parent.

"No my mawmy is here and she said we'd get your name and you were so fast and I wanna grow up to be like you!" the little mechette said excitedly, bouncing in the racer's arms. Nitro laughed good-naturedly, relieved when he saw a femme rushing up, looking worried as could be.

"Oh I'm so sorry, Nitro, she ran off before I could catch her! She's so fast these days," the femme said, taking her sparkling back with a sigh.

"Sounds like she'll be a fine speedster if she can escape her momma!" Nitro said with a wink to the youngling. He retreived two data films that had his portrait on them and a stylus from his subspace. "Now who're the two lucky misses I'm going to make these out for?"

"O-oh, you don't have to, but, um, I'm Lorida, and this is my daughter Override," the femme said giddily, and her daughter giggled excitedly. Nitro scribbled out his autograph and a short message to the femmes on the films, handing them to the thankful mother with a slight bow.

"Y'welcome, ladies. And you take care to listen to your momma. Don't be bad and maybe one day you'll be up racing with me," Nitro added, beeping the sparkling on the nose and getting a shrill giggle of delight in return as he carried on his way.

"Just like the old days, eh, Blurr?" Springer jibed, prodding his comrade in the leg with a toe. Blurr rolled his optics from where he sat across from Springer, Kup and Perceptor at their shared table, holding cubes of high-grade and enjoying the overall atmosphere of the exclusive night scene for Velocitronian racers.

"That was a long time ago, brother, I think I feel a little better being here with my friends who tell me straight rather than fill me full of hot oil," Blurr said, sipping at his cube. He absently fingered the medal around his neck, feeling something hot in his spark.

"Damn right, you runnin' punk. Y'don't see this kind of comraderie from those Towerlings back home - bein' all high n' mighty. We're tighter than a sharkticon's exhaust port!" Kup assured vehemently, setting his cube down loudly. The mechs at the table winced. "You're a good kid, Blurr, you deserve that medal. No one needs to - to fluff ya up about what you already know. Whatcha know here!" Kup pointed at his chest.

"Kup," Drift started quietly from where he sat beside Blurr, "you may want to tone it down," he chuckled, hiding his grin behind his own cube of low-grade. The petro-doe in the headlights look Kup gave him was priceless, and the old mech settled himself, coughing lightly.

"Sorry about that. Just... get passionate about things sometimes," Kup mumbled, taking another swig from his cube before turning to Springer. "Son, I think it's about time for me to turn in."

"Couldn't agree more, old-timer. Les'go," Springer said with a grin. "We'll see you guys later, try not to get too out of hand. Public rep and all," Springer added with a roll of his optics as he helped Kup to his pedes and on towards the exit of the club.

"Kup's such a soft-spark," Drift chuckled, leaning back as relaxation settled in. Perceptor nodded slowly.

"He's about as hard as the Xantium's hull but there's a lot of facets that he hides away - but everyone loves him for them," the sniper said pleasantly, smiling. His gaze turned to Blurr, who seemed unusually quiet for once. "Something wrong, Blurr?"

"Just thinking," the blue mech intoned quietly, still looking at the medal in his hand. "I need to go somewhere before we leave Velocitron."

"Past aquaintences?" Drift asked, reaching for his companion's empty cube. Blurr nodded, smirking ruefully.

"Something like that. Hey, just get me a cooler while you're up there, please," Blurr said, pinching Drift's shoulder armor as he got up. Hissing lightly at his friend and snagging Perceptor's cube as well, he left quickly, dodging Perceptor's own attempt for a pinch.

Drift knew something was up with Blurr. Ever since the ruler of Velocitron had mentioned something about "in honor of Ciel," and had invited the mech to attend that day's race, Blurr's moods had shifted subtly. There was a bigger picture, something personal he assumed after his inquiry earlier, but he knew better than to interfere.

Putting the current events aside, Drift's thoughts returned to the racer from earlier in the day. His spark twinged and he couldn't help the small smile that crossed his lips as he replayed their brief meeting. The racer had held true to his word and -had- won the race, WITH Blurr, nonetheless.

"I guess he was serious," Drift commented to himself as he ordered up another round of drinks for himself and his companions. Another crimp in his chest made him think about it though. What if the racer HAD been serious? The racer probably would have found him afterward and had continued his flirting if he was really after Drift. The swordsmech checked around him. No racer, no passionate advances. The least he could do was ask Blurr if he had gotten the other racer's name.

Making his way back towards their table, Drift's stride faltered, seeing that Perceptor had switched seats, sitting next to Blurr now, and was leaning close to the blue speedster. They were talking, and Blurr looked more weary than Drift had ever seen him. But the quiet intimacy was there, all too evident for Drift to ignore, and it folded in with his earlier train of thought, the feeling of loneliness suddenly bearing heavy on his shoulders.

"I thought I'd never find you."

Drift nearly dropped the cubes balanced in his arms, turning to face the speaker who was entirely too close to his audial. He bit back a gasp of surprise, looking up at the taller mech beside him. It was HIM! Drift momentarily forgot he could vocalize, mouth opening and closing a few times before words managed to get out.

"You... you're here. You won the race," Drift said, managing to shut up before he said anything stupid.

"Of course, mech, I didn't promise it for nothing," Nitro replied, chuckling. "I play a lot but I don't break a promise. You got friends?" He gestured to the cubes in the other's arms.

"Yes. But they're... indisposed. I was thinking about leaving," Drift said, taking another glance at Blurr and Perceptor. Blurr's arm was slung low around the red sniper's waist, both looking sedate and dreamy. It seemed things were escalating for both Blurr and himself quite rapidly.

"Go give them their cubes then. I'll wait for you," Nitro ushered, getting a small nod in return as the elegant white and red mech strode away. He couldn't help the appraising look he gave the other's backside, the mech was handsome and unusual - a fascinating new mystery to be solved.

"Sorry about the wait," Drift said as he came up to the table his companions were at. Blurr and Perceptor straightened, looking a bit abashed at being 'caught.' "There were quite a few others waiting."

"It's a busy night," Blurr offered with a smile, taking his and Perceptor's cubes. Drift nodded.

"Since we're here I'm going to take advantage of our break and get out for a while, alright? I'll see you two later," Drift said, resting a hand on Perceptor's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. The other two nodded and bid their farewells. Drift had to force himself to calm down when he turned and approached the racer who was diligently standing near the exit of the club. Giving the other red and white a beckoning glance, the two walked out together into the night. 


	3. Chapter 3

sparkrace 3 drift & nitro ===

"Slurries?"  
Drift's confused expression was cute, to say the least, when he looked up at the taller mech beside him. They had walked into the busy streets of the city, surrounded by other mechs and races persuing nightly activities and still celebrating the earlier competition. It was relaxing - there was no strife here it seemed, and life went on peacefully.

"What, you've never had one before?" Nitro asked, stunned. "It's coolant and energon mixed together and - well I'll just show you," the speedster said, resting a hand at Drift's elbow and lightly tugging the smaller mech towards an alleyway. It was brightly lit and lined with stalls serving several types of different fuels, treats and nutrition for different species.

Drift hung beside the racer, watching him as he ordered two of the mentioned 'slurries' for them. Getting a better look, Nitro reminded him of Blurr - they certainly were built similarly enough. Filing that information away, he brushed his shoulder against Nitro's, gaining his attention.

"You know, I thought I wasn't going to be here tonight. Thought I was going to be heading back to my ship to put up with overcharged youngsters. You sure have a way of derailing a mech's plans," Drift said teasingly, liking the way Nitro lifted his brow component in response.

"Me, derailing YOUR plans? I had to force myself to stop processing about you so I wouldn't get distracted during the race you know. Then I wouldn't have won. Even more disappointing, I wouldn't be here with you," Nitro purred close to the swordsmech's audial, almost seeing the nervous static that pinged off Drift's form. He took the extravagantly designed containers that contained their slurries, heading towards an open table.

"You're lying," Drift said when they were seated. Nitro narrowed his eyes, drinking from his cup.

"Am I?"

Drift looked down at the purplish-blue concotion before him, hands clenching lightly on the table. No, he thought, Nitro wasn't lying. The situation he was in was turning sharply, and he couldn't figure out if he liked it or not. Being who he was, it seemed like it was a second chance, something he could re-discover and enjoy, but at the same time, being who he had been, it overcast the rising feelings of joy.

"So do you regularly ask fans out?" Drift asked, dipping his finger in the slurry and tasting it. It tasted like energon, but cold, and with a tang of different flavor due to the coolant and something else he couldn't pinpoint. Optics turned up to Nitro, who looked thoughtful.

"If I'm looking for some fun, sure. Not this time though. You're the first one I saw that made me feel different..."  
"Oh, that sounded terrible," Drift chuckled.  
"Not in that way! Primus, give me a break. Not every celebrity is a player," Nitro snorted, engine revving momentarily. Drift was smiling at him. "Don't tell me the thing I felt in my spark was one-sided."

There was a long moment between them, Drift sipping slowly at his slurry, watching Nitro's hands as they fidgeted.

"No, it wasn't. It's not the first time I've felt this way. I just don't want it to turn out the same way now as it did then. I'm not here for long, Nitro. Sparkbreak isn't something I want to burden either of us with," Drift explained softly, seeing the conflicted expression that crossed his companion's face.

"Drift, I'm a racer, I know what defeat feels like. I don't know quite yet why, but I don't want this to be a superficial thing," Nitro said, then gulped down the rest of his slurry. "Something's different about you, and I want to know it. Ain't often I get to feeling this way, y'know?"

"It's not often enough that I LET myself feel this way," Drift replied, reaching over and dusting his fingertips across the top of Nitro's hand. "It's difficult, but I'll try to let us know each other during the time I'm here." Drift smiled, and Nitro perked up, turning his hand to curl fingers into the other mech's.

"Blurr said earlier he needed to go somewhere within Speedia before we left, so we're probably going to be travelling tomorrow. Would you be interested in coming?" Drift asked, trying to ignore the pleasant tingles that were originating from his hand. Nitro was dragging his fingers quite boldly across the seams of his palm!

"Sure, I wouldn't mind at all playing the bit of a tour guide. Just promise me I'll get to take you somewhere afterward," Nitro said, leaning forward towards Drift. The swordsmech fluttered his optics as they rolled.

"As if I'd say no."

Time: Too Early

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"  
Drift groaned quietly as he trudged after Blurr and Perceptor. Admittedly he was used to rising early but after the busy, draining day before, his systems were acting sluggish, and by the way Perceptor looked at him with dim optics, the sniper was feeling the same.

Blurr, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Being fast had its advantages - especially when his recovery time was half that a normal transformer's.

"Alright, you three. I want you staying together out there. I know we're on neutral ground but I don't want to take the risk of running into any unfriendlies." Springer was a sudden wall in front of them, blocking their path to the ship's exit. "Where is that you were going again?"

"The war memorial, it's about twenty mega-kliks from here, on the other side of the city. We'll be right next to the embassy so I doubt we'll have much trouble," Blurr replied, looking up at the big triple-changer. Springer scratched at his helm absently.

"You never know. Comm in if you're heading anywhere else, alright? Never know when we might need to leave," Springer warned, moving to let his fellow Wreckers through. Blurr grinned wickedly, looking over his shoulder.

"Okay, MOTHER Springer!"

"You..!" Springer made a grab for Blurr, but the mech was out of harm's way and sprinting down the hall cackling. Drift and Perceptor were hard-pressed preventing themselves from laughing as well.

"Don't worry, Springer, I'll keep the kids under control," Perceptor offered comfortingly as they continued on their way, the helo grumbling as he turned and headed himself back to the Xantium's bridge.

"You know, Blurr, one day he's going to catch you," Perceptor said with a grin once they had caught up to their racer friend. The sun was rising beyond the horizon, giving them all a pleasant view from the ship docking facility. Dust in the air turned the sky a bright blood-orange, bathing everything in a warm, hazy glow.

"That's highly improbable, professor," Blurr chirped, making his way down the docking bay. He stopped though, when a familiar figure approached. Perceptor stopped beside Blurr, but Drift carried on, approaching the Velocitronian.

"Good morning, mechs, nice to see I was right on time," Nitro said, tipping his head to Drift in greeting. Blurr and the red mech beside him approached, befuddled at the apparition.

"Nitro, this is Perceptor and Blurr. I guess you two met yesterday after the race," Drift said, smiling as they all shook hands.

"Oh, briefly enough. Blurr has to be one of the fastest mechs from Cybertron I've ever met," Nitro said proudly. "I'm honored to have won with him."

"It's nothing. I haven't raced in such a long time, so I'm glad I got the opportunity to make sure I'm not slacking," Blurr jibed, narrowly missing Perceptor's elbow in his side. "Thank you, Nitro, it's been a long while since I've been here, as well. I had a debt to pay."

"A debt?" Nitro cocked his head at the blue racer, who frowned slightly. He then grinned, albiet forcedly.

"Race you to the memorial!" Blurr said, already off on his pedes. Nitro glanced at Perceptor and Drift, who nodded slightly, and the red and black racer was off as well, chasing Blurr. Drift was startled from watching his new friend when Perceptor touched his arm lightly. There were no words, but the inquisitive look the sniper gave him was enough to convey his thoughts.

"I'm not sure, but I think I like him," Drift said airily as they continued walking. Perceptor had his GPS out, re-checking their route before tucking it away in his armor.

"Take advantage of it then, Drift. You never know when you'll get another chance to feel that way," Perceptor replied, nudging his friend in the side. They walked for some time before reaching a quiet stretch of city street. Drift grinned suddenly, turning and whacking a palm into Perceptor's back.

"Tag!"

The memorial was simple but elegant. A large circular formation of metal, mimicking that of a race track, that had names engraved on its walls and holo-busts of mechs that had participated in what few wars Velocitron had vouched in. Drift and Perceptor had converted to bipedal mode outside of the facility, spotting Blurr and Nitro standing near the entrance.

The four were silent as they headed into the open-air gardens that filled the middle of the sculpture, Blurr treading lightly on a path he hadn't walked in several vorns. Perceptor fell in beside him, as Nitro joined Drift's side. The racer glanced at the smaller mech, who shrugged helplessly.

They eventually stopped in front of a group of memorial stands, with slightly larger holo-busts. Blurr found the one he was looking for, knelt, and pressed his forehead to the rectangular memorial block in silence.

Drift felt his vents stutter at the sudden unusual gesture Blurr was exhibiting. His optics traced over the holo-bust, seeing eerie similarities between it and Blurr, then dropped his gaze to the notation engraved on a plaque below that.

Hero of the X War: Ciel

"Long before I was sparked there was a short war between Velocitron and a planet known as X," Nitro said suddenly, surprising his companions. Blurr looked up wearily to the other racer. "It was the first time in eons that Velocitron had asked Cybertron for help. X wanted to take our planet for resources, but naturally, who would let their home world be conquered? We're small but we're not helpless.

"I don't remember all the details, but there was a small group of Velocitronians and Cybertronians working together. This mech, Ciel, was the one leading the group. He and the other heroes here on these blocks were the ones that stopped X from taking over. Ciel's your genitor, isn't he Blurr," Nitro said, a subdued smile on his lips.

"Yeh- Yeah," Blurr said, standing up and rubbing at his mouth. "He died before the Decepticon war started, though. Back when I was just getting into racing. He brought me to Velocitron a couple of times, always telling me I'd do great things. I never knew I'd be where I am now, but I don't regret a minute of it. Well, maybe a little of when I was younger and being such an aft-head. Kup beat that out of me quick enough, though," Blurr chuckled, running his fingers over the plaque in front of him. He then dug into his armor, pulling out the medal he had won the day before.

"I know he's proud of you," Nitro said quietly, watching the other speedster rest the medal on top of the memorial block.

"That's why I run," Blurr said. "That's when I know he's closest to me."

The four fell into another long silence, then Blurr shook himself, huffing a few times before he turned to his friends.

"Well then, let's get back to the city! I'm starvin'!" 


	4. Chapter 4

sparkrace 4 drift & nitro ===

"Whatcha thinking about," Nitro prodded, leaning his face into Drift's. "I think I'm catching on why they call you 'Drift.'" Nitro smirked getting a sour look from the other mech.

"Har-har. I was just thinking about when we were hailed to this planet. Your ruler mentioned Ciel in comms, and after that Blurr started acting strange, so I'm just glad to see what was weighing so heavily on him," Drift replied, eyeing a strange boutique they passed that specialized in frilly cloth items. His attention was turned back to Nitro, whose arm came to rest around the back of his shoulders.

"And now I know why he was burning during the race. I could practically feel him when we were head-to-head. You ever hear about that? Feeling another mech's passion?" Nitro asked, and Drift felt his frame warm at the double entendre, intentional or not.

"Sometimes. I think they used to call it 'Burning Justice,' in the old days," Drift said, noticing they were heading away from the heart of the city. He stopped suddenly, almost flipping Nitro off his heel wheels. "And if you're taking me anywhere, I'm going to comm in to Perceptor."

"You Autobots sure are close," Nitro said, shifting his weight to his toes and watching as Drift dialed on his communicator.

"We're a team. Knowing one another's locations is vital," Drift replied, finishing his message and returning to Nitro's side. The walked for a bit more, the racer setting his fingers along the bottom edge of Drift's shoulder armor, stroking lightly, evenly.

"We don't have much for sight-seeing. Anything outside of the main cities is desert, boondocks, or crystal farms," Nitro said, noticing the slow creep of Drift's arm around his waist. He smiled. Finally, the other mech was warming up. Even if it took a century, he'd get Drift to crack open for him.

"Crystal farms?"  
"Yeah, number one export next to our plastonium we manufacture. Y'know, top of the line racing wheels," Nitro said, pointing to his heels. Drift looked, now understanding the strange translucent material the tyres were made from. He leaned, reaching up and touching the wheel that was located right behind Nitro's nearest shoulder.

"I see. I wouldn't mind seeing the crystal farms if there's one nearby," Drift said, genuinely interested. His past hadn't allowed him to enjoy any of the crystalline gardens on Cybertron, and now was a prime time to regain some of the beauty he had participated in destroying.

Nitro did not miss the pained flinch that flitted across his companion's face.

"A few mega-kliks. C'mon," Nitro said, dropping his hand down around Drift's, and leading him towards the edge of the city.

The planet was indeed the example of a desert. Drift wondered just how much dust he was going to have to shake out of his chassis later, and noted himself to get a full-crew check-up before they departed. Slowing down with Nitro, they approached an off ramp from the main road they were on that led into an unpaved area.

"Pede it from here on out, the roads get rough," Nitro advised as he unfolded into his bipedal form. Drift joined him, and they walked along the gravelly road. The sun was heading towards the horizon, and the heat was beginning to rise. Drift whined in his head, but didn't dare let himself look weak to his partner.

"So what do the crystals do?" Drift asked, distracting himself.

"They make electricity," Nitro said, grinning at the doubtful look Drift gave him. "No really, they use them in a lot of things like transmitters and - and lights, and stuff," Nitro shrugged, scratching at the back of his helm. Drift snorted. "What, does it look like I'm a scientist about this stuff?"

"Just messing with you... ohh," Drift paused when he caught sight of the farm ahead. Sparkling under the sun were thousands of crystal clusters, a quiet ringing catching Drift's audial. Caught by their siren song, the bot shuffled forward, looking at the formations in amazement. Most were as high as his waist, a few daring to reach just about the same height as him.

"Don't," Nitro said, catching Drift's hand before it touched one of the crystals. Drift snapped out of the tunnel vision he had unawaredly dropped into, and looked at the racer, suddenly concerned. "They have a high energy resonancy. If they're touched by bare hands they can possibly shock you - or worse."

"Oh," Drift said, finding himself being pulled against Nitro's chest. "I feel like I need to shut my optics. Or recharge, or something to that nature."

"I guess you little city bots aren't used to their song," Nitro said, slowly backing he and Drift out of the farm. He glanced down, seeing Drift still staring sleepily at the crystals. He took the time to bask in the guilty pleasure he had holding Drift close, lifting a hand to run a fingertip along one of the mech's helm finials.

"I'm not a city bot," Drift muttered, coming to rest his arms around Nitro's waist. The feeling of lethargy managed to filter out of his systems, leaving him buzzing and realizing just how close he had gotten to the other mech. He looked up, unsure of what to say or compute towards the new shift in their relationship.

"C'mon, let's get out of here. I know another nice place you might like."

Drift found himself sitting on an outcrop of sandstone, staring out into the churning ocean Nitro had led him to. Velocitron was curious in its own way, terrain turning from desert to shore in just a manner of kliks.

"I want to know more about you," Nitro said suddenly. He was sitting next to the other bot, gazing as well into the swirling water that looked like what his spark was feeling. "I don't know when you're leaving and I want to know you, I want you for myself."

"You're awfully greedy," Drift said, turning to look at his companion. "I like you, Nitro, I do, there are just certain things - too many differences - about us and myself." Drift leaned, resting his brow to Nitro's, a breath away from nuzzling their faces together.

"What, because you're an Autobot? A Wrecker? I think I can guess correctly to say that you're not one to let soldiering get in front of what you want personally," Nitro said softly, running a hand across Drift's angular breastplate. He could feel Drift - not in a physical sense. Something older, less recognized, was touching him inside, calling him, but at the same time was anxious, hesitant.

"It's... not just... that..." Drift was feeling like he had the first time they had met, overwhelmed, confused. His spark was throbbing, his very essence making itself known to him in the most startling way. He pushed his way into Nitro's lap, the racer's arms wrapping around his waist and pulling them together, chest-to-chest. Optics shuttering, he ground his helm against Nitro's, the black and red mech returning the gesture of ferality with full force.

"Stop lettin' it get in the way of what you want," Nitro rasped out, feeling the white storm inside his chest trying to reach out for Drift's own spark. The smaller bot was keening softly, face pressed to the racer's cheek, hands on Nitro's armor in a deathgrip. Heat built between the two bots, who pawed helplessly at each other, hands travelling edges and crevices wantonly.

"It's not that easy..!" Drift was gritting his denta as Nitro's face pressed to his, their expirations shared and energy rising, comingling, mixing into something that Drift was fast losing his reservations to. Optics shuttered and senses reeling, the smaller bot ground his chestplate to the other's, as if trying to merge with him.

"You'd be a terrible racer," Nitro whispered, lips tight against Drift's brow, "'cuz you keep looking b'hind y'self." Nitro cringed as prickly sparks culminated between them, pinging off their armor, static tickling and sliding between their joints. He stroked his hands down the other mech's arched back struts, systems redlining as heat and sensor nets met their capacities.

Drift was caught, the sensation of he and Nitro's electro-fields meshing into one overwhelming any distressing thought that was conflicting his spark. Nothing else mattered then but the slow grind of his body against Nitro's, the feeling of his internals stuttering up as he approached what was an agonizing overload. Nothing mattered but the soft, encouraging words that slipped past Nitro's vocalizer.

"Nnniitr-aaAHHHGG!"

Drift slumped heavily, overcome by the forced discharge of collected sensations and energy, systems soft resetting and sending him into a lazy stupor. Resting his head against his companion's chest, he felt the light sensation of Nitro's lips against his helm, the racer's arms still tight and secure around his body. There was a strange feeling beneath the tingles of static that were still dispersing, something hot yet cold, full but empty, right beneath his breastplate.

"I don't want it to lead you anymore," Nitro said against Drift's helm. "There's something in here," he said, gently tapping the other mech's helm, "that's controlling you."

"It's more than that..." Drift started, but was shaken lightly into silence.

"There's something I want from you, even if I don't get to keep you. I want you to move past it. Even if this, right now, is fleeting, I can't stand to see others, YOU, in your own pain. It hurts me, Drift, I don't know why but... you're hurting, and I don't like it," Nitro said, looking away as he rest a hand across Drift's chest.

Drift cocked his head, brow lowering slightly as the words sunk in. He reached up, mimicking the touch on his breastplate, bowing his head to Nitro's shoulder. He couldn't speak; the other mech was right. It was a long moment, warmth disapating between them, before Drift finally sighed.

"I can't promise you, Nitro, but I'll try. For you, and a lot more people, I'll try." 


End file.
